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Key Affordances of EdTech
'Key Affordances of Learning Technology' Educational technology offers several affordances to learning. Below are the key affordances of learning technology described in How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures and evaluated by graduate students in a course on Technology for Teaching and Learning. Students described the affordances, why they are essential to learning, and a type of tool that can be used to support that affordance. Interactivity # Technology tools that are interactive require learners to engage with the tool in order for the learner to progress through the content. # Interactive technologies and tools allow students to learn through overcoming challenges based on their actions. The challenges increase in difficulty as the learner spends more time on the program. They gain new knowledge and skills (and possibly alter attitudes/beliefs) as they go through activities that allow them to expand their horizons. # Augmented reality applications - By offering layers of digital information over top of objects that exist in the real world, students can interact with their environment in many ways. These tools allow learners to explore and learn more deeply as they go through games or scenarios. Adaptivity # Technology tools that are adaptive take learners’ knowledge and characteristics and use that information to allow the learner to progress forward through different levels of an activity. They respond to learners’ tasks and selections to meet their needs. # Many tools today can be tailored to work with certain age groups or students’ activity levels. Students have varying needs that can be met with reactive and adaptive technologies, creating more personalized learning opportunities for students. # Learning softwares - Some technologies and learning softwares have the ability to assess learners and then gear the practice for each learner based on how they score on the assessments. Such tools offer adaptive, personalized material that engage the learners and provide analytical feedback in real-time to instructors. Feedback # Feedback provides students with information related to the quality of their work, allowing them to improve. Feedback can be offered by parents, other students, and teachers and can be delivered immediately or over time. Technology can provide students with feedback when teachers are not present; however, it may come across as less personal to the student. Feedback can also be used for formative or summative assessment for the teacher or presenter to know where to improve their own work. # Technology can serve as a medium for delivering feedback. It can facilitate feedback between peers, students, and teachers efficiently and effectively. It can provide students with the immediate opportunity to course-correct or help them develop learning over time. # Learning paths in learning management systems - Some programs offer links to tutorials where a student needs more practice in a certain topic. For example, there are programs that personalize feedback to students to help improve their success and learning management systems allowing feedback from parents, students, and teachers. Choice # Choice allows students to pursue their own interests about what to learn, how to learn, and how they present their learning. In most classrooms, it is structured inquiry where students are given a rubric to make sure they meet the requirements of the lesson. Students can choose their own topics and presentation model as long as they meet the requirements. # Technology and the internet allows students the opportunity for open inquiry. Open inquiry should allow students to explore as long as they need, in the direction they want, which takes time. Students need to be taught how to identify high quality, credible websites in order for open inquiry to be successful and meaningful. # For example, online video production tools, book creation sites, and presentation sites are some choices students can use to demonstrate what they learned and how they learned. Gaming sites give students the choice to choose their avatar, their own personality, where to explore, and what to learn. The internet allows students to search for relevant information needed to assist their learning. Nonlinear Access # Technology tools allow students to consume course materials in a personally meaningful order - not necessarily in a linear fashion. The ability for students to self-regulate their learning, as well as revisit information on demand and reference it at a later date can positively impact their learning. # Nonlinear learning allows the student to drive the pace of the lesson but can still be teacher directed or driven. Students can create their own understanding of a topic or concept, which encourages more student-centered learning opportunities. In order for this to be successful, basic skills and fundamentals need to have been established prior to the implementation of nonlinear exploration. One such issue includes potentially tracking 30 individual levels at once. # Learning management systems - Learning management systems offer a nonlinear presentation of content and curricular goals, giving students the choice of pace and order of information learned. Linked Representations # Technology allows for meaningful connections between concepts and ideas in a variety of formats. These connections provided opportunities for students to access authentic materials from the discipline being taught, encouraging transferability and improved learning. # Students have to use visualization in order to understand topics and concepts, and technology allows access to a variety of materials across a variety of media. Such tools allow for the development of authentic discipline literacy and promotes higher-order thinking skills. # Virtual education and simulated learning opportunities, such as games or dissections, offer opportunities for students to connect classroom content to authentic situations. Open-Ended Learner Input # Open-ended learning environments give students the opportunities to be involved in authentic and complex problem-solving tasks. Students judge what, when, and how learning will occur. This type of technology affordance enables deeper learning. Since students express their learning through their natural language, pictures and other forms of open-ended communication, educators and students can better understand the acquired conceptual learning and skills in the subject covered. This type of learning is much harder to structure and even to visualize because students and teachers both must approach their learning in a non-linear way. Often times, if one can work through the frustrations, the learning is enriched by the deeper meaning associated with the complex/memorable actions. # When students give input to their learning they take control of the direction and depth of their understanding. Because context and experience are critical to learning, when students are involved with and take control of those learning engagements, they are more rich and authentic. Concrete experiences through which learners encounter, revise and shape their path. Through open-ended learner input affordance, students are active learners through the learning process. They explore, research and participate actively in learning, sharing (expressing) and communication. Learners need the opportunity to express themselves in meaningful ways. If open-ended learning doesn’t exist, it’s much easier to categorize roles such as student or teacher (where education often becomes passive) rather than focus on the broader goal of learning. # Digital portfolios and media creators - Digital portfolio tools driven by students as they share their learning journey provide authentic audiences of teachers and classmates. Digital media creator tools help improve students' reading, writing, and creativity. They provide students the opportunity for open-ended learner input affordance, where they can freely express themselves through their learning process. These tools also motivate expression. When students judge what, when, and how learning will occur they revise and direct their learning experiences to deeper and more authentic tasks. Communication with Other People # Communication is a skill, one that only gets better with frequency and practice. Skills are improved by making mistakes, refining, and trying again, as well as with feedback following performance. Communication requires a level of understanding to interpret and decode meaning. It is both receiving and giving feedback. This type of learning includes a lot of social interaction, discussions, sharing, helping and learning from each other. # Students interact using different media (audio, video, text, etc.), through different online tools (video conferencing, texting, etc.) with learning being the key goal criteria. In addition to social interaction, students must learn to depend on others to succeed in life. Being able to frame one’s thoughts and/or express one’s emotions is an important part of social and emotional learning and should be a driving force of all teachers’ curriculum. # Video discussion platforms and videoconferencing systems - Video discussion platforms allow the power of talking, reflecting, questioning, and responding to a teacher or student directed prompt. Students can revisit the content of others, engage engage with fun images, and respond with videos to continue conversation. Videoconferencing tools help group connections, instructor and peer communication, breakout group activities, and both person-to-person and person-to group communication. Communication deepens and challenges thinking, improves relationships, and is a skill needing constant practice and feedback.